Families Learning Together Workshop Series

Families Learning Together Workshop Series is a series of eight literacy-oriented workshops designed to foster school success and promote resiliency of young

children by preparing families to be active participants in the education of their preschool and kindergarten children.

The GOALS of the Families Learning Together Workshop Series:

foster school success and promote resiliency in young children,

increase families’ knowledge of emergent literacy skills, and

impact the quality of family conversations that occur daily in homes, and

encourage active participation of families in their children’s education.

The workshops below were developed for use with families of children entering kindergarten.

Field-Testing Implementation of the Families Learning Together Workshop Series:

Families participated in a series of 15 biweekly two-hour workshops, which were organized into three units of five sessions each. Adults who attended the Family Workshops participated in Family Conversations, Family Learning Time, Dinner and Discussion and Adult/Child Practice Time. Children, eighteen months to twelve years of age, attended Children’s Club. Children’s Club was an educational child care program under the direction of a certified teacher and trained assistants. Children participated in structured activities that included story time, free play, and dinner time.

Family Literacy Bags were distributed at each workshop. Each Bag contained two children’s books, learning materials to use with the books, and a set of activity cards designed in accordance with age appropriate State of Florida Literacy Standards. Families were encouraged to use the books and materials at home with their children to increase their reading readiness and preparation for school.

Weekly telephone calls were made following the workshops to answer questions and encourage families to use the literacy materials provided at the workshops. Response to a Family Involvement and Learning Survey indicated that by participating in the Families Learning Together Workshop Series families increased their

understanding of their role in helping their children in school,

perceptions of their ability to help their children learn,

understanding of how to help their children,

spending time helping their child at home,

use of opportunities to turn everyday activities into learning activities.

* Any or all of these workshops are available to download and use at no cost.The modules presented here were funded in part by the Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education as part of the Virtual School Readiness Incubator Project, the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Families as part of the Early Learning Opportunities Act/Bringing Education and Support to Teachers, Parents and Children (ELOA/BEST) Project, and the Florida Institute of Education at the University of North Florida. These prototype materials are still in development and refinement and should be used with this caution in mind. The content of these modules does not necessarily reflect the views or policies or imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services, and/or the University of North Florida.